


Meeting of Numbers

by krisrussel



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-04
Updated: 2013-06-04
Packaged: 2017-12-13 23:06:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/829888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/krisrussel/pseuds/krisrussel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>NYPD Detective John Sheppard’s favorite deli is filled to the brink when he meets someone who will change his life forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Meeting of Numbers

**Author's Note:**

> I saw this happening on CSI:NY and was totally inspired to write a Sparky AU!  
> Big thanks to my betas Turch and Mikki. You guys rock!

 

The noise was almost overwhelming as Detective John Sheppard walked into Giovanni’s, the best deli in the whole of lower Manhattan.

Picking two numbers, he sighed as he looked at the number on the board. It was a good thing he wasn’t supposed to be at the precinct for another 45 minutes.

The crowd pushed him forward towards the counter. John loved this place, but around noon it really was too crowded.

“Number 42?”

John was glad it was finally his turn and raised his hand. “Yeah, Tony!”

The burly man behind the counter grinned. “John! Your usual?”

John nodded and Tony turned away to get the order.

As John reached for his wallet, someone was pushed straight into him and dropped their newspaper.

Bending down, he picked it up and turned to the person. To his pleasant surprise it was a gorgeous woman around his age.

“I’m so sorry,” she said. “But it’s so crowded in here.”

He smiled and handed her the newspaper back. “It’s almost always like this around noon. The pastrami sandwich is insanely popular.”

“It must be.”

“What number do you have?”

Sighing she showed him her number. “It’s still a long wait.”

“It always is.”

They shared a smile, but the moment was broken when John’s phone rang.

Checking out the caller-id, he gave her an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, I have to take this.” “McKay, what’s up?” “Yes.” “Okay, I’m five minutes away.” “Yup, see you.”

“Important?” She asked and he nodded.

“It always is.”

“Here you go,” Tony said as he handed the sandwich to John. “Are you sure you’re not eating it here?” He asked, casting a knowing look at the woman.

“I wish, but duty calls.”

“Alright, I’ll put it on your tab. See you tomorrow!”

As he nodded, John turned back to the woman and handed her the second number he had pulled from the machine. “I always take two when there’s a crowd like this, in case I forget something. I didn’t forget anything today so I don’t need this one anymore.”

“Thank you.”

They shared another smile.

“I’m sorry, I really have to go.”

“Alright. Bye now.”

He smiled again. “Bye.”

“Number 43?”

With a grin she turned to Tony. “That’s me.”

“What can I get you?”

“A pastrami sandwich... and a takeaway menu.”

 

\---

 

“What are you so happy about?”

John rolled his eyes. Rodney McKay had been working together with him for over five years now and even though Rodney was far from a people person and they had very little in common, they had become good friends.

“Got myself a good sandwich.”

“Right,” Rodney said with a tone of disbelief. “Did you bring me anything?”

Shaking his head in amusement, John grabbed into the bag and pulled out a cheese bagel.

Rodney’s eyes started to shine as he happily took it from his friend.

“So, why did you need me here asap?”

“DB on Rivington. We have to go. Carson, Teyla and Ronon are already at the scene.”

“You couldn’t tell me this over the phone?” John grumbled, grabbed his keys from his desk and pushed Rodney towards the elevator.

 

\---

 

“Sheppard,” Detective Ronon Dex said and glanced pointedly at his watch.

John just glared and pointed at Rodney. “Blame him.”

“What did I do?” Rodney asked and raised his hands innocently.

Ronon grinned at Sheppard. “You should train him better.”

Detective Teyla Emmagen shook her head and laughed at the scene. Boys will be boys.

“Doc, what do you have?” John asked as he ignored them and approached Carson Beckett, one of the best ME’s in the country.

“COD seems to be a shot through the heart. But...”

“We’ll have to wait for your final report before drawing any conclusions. I know, Doc.”

Carson grinned and nodded. “Exactly.”

“Dex, what can you tell me?”

The larger man approached him and leafed through his notepad. “We found a wallet with all his money still in there. He was still wearing a very expensive watch and a gold bracelet, so we can rule out robbery. His name is Lucius Lavin, he’s 42 and as far as we can tell he’s not married.”

“What else did you find here?” John asked as he looked around the alley.

“Bullet casing. Looks like a 9 mil. Some blood samples... Not that much really.”

“Alright, you and Teyla can question the neighbours. Rodney and I will head back to the precinct to figure out his background and check out the evidence.”

 

\---

 

Even though it had been a very late night, John was back at Giovanni’s the next day bright and early to start his workday as soon as possible. It was a lot less busy at this early hour and Tony greeted him happily.

“I’ll just have two coffees and four plain whole wheat bagels please.”

A few minutes later his order was ready and Tony handed him the bag together with a take-out menu.

John gave him a strange look. “Tony, I’ve memorized the take-out menu years ago.”

Tony’s grin grew. “This one you haven’t. Trust me.”

John opened his mouth, but shook the comment away and grabbed his order and the menu.

 

\---

 

After handing Rodney his coffee and two bagels, he made his way to his office. Placing his own coffee and bagels on his desk, he took a closer look at the menu. To his surprise something was written on the back.

 

_Dear Number 42,_

_I just wanted to say thank you. I had a really long day. Actually, I've had a few months worth of them, to be honest. So when I came into the deli, I was thinking hard about leaving Manhattan. But then I told myself if at least one stranger could show me some tiny shred of kindness, it would mean I should stay. And suddenly, there you were, talking with me, looking me in the eye, smiling at me like you meant it. Anyway, I just wanted you to know that it felt really good. And thanks to you, I'm staying right where I am._

_Yours,_

_Number 43._

 

John couldn’t help but smile. He clearly remembered the woman he had bumped into yesterday.

The thought that he would probably never see her again saddened him in a way. He looked over the entire menu, hoping she left him her phone number, but no such luck.

Sighing he sipped his coffee and tried to figure out a way to contact her. He was one of the top-detectives in the city, for crying out loud!

“We found an unknown blood sample!” Rodney bounded into his office, jerking him out of  his thoughts.

John followed him out towards the lab but suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Yesterday’s paper was laying open on the desk of one of his colleagues. The apartment section had caught his eye and he remembered one of the ads had been circled in the newspaper he had handed back to her.

A grin appeared on his face and he turned to Rodney who’d been asking why he had suddenly stopped.

“Give me five minutes. I’ll be right there.” Not waiting for an answer, he grabbed the paper and hurried back to his office, leaving Rodney gaping at him.

 

\---

 

The next day, a young blond woman was standing in an empty apartment, patiently waiting for her next client.

When the door opened, she gave the woman who had entered a smile and studied her for a moment.

“You must be the beautiful brunette with the long curly hair.”

The brunette gave her a confused look. “Excuse me?”

“This arrived here this morning by courier,” the real estate agent said as she handed her an envelope.

The text on the outside was simple: For the beautiful woman with the long curly dark hair.

It intrigued her and she opened it on the spot, wondering who would send her something this way.

Pulling out a note, she started reading it.

 

_Dear Number 43,_

_I hope this note reaches you and you won't find me too forward in sending it. But someone I recently met reminded me that sometimes you have to take chances, if only to give one to someone else. So, if you'd like to discuss your decision to stay in Manhattan in a little more detail, I know a great deli. Tomorrow at 8 PM?_

_Number 42._

 

The brunette grinned as she turned back to the realtor. “Alright, show me around this place.”

 

\---

 

“Alright, where are we with this case?” John asked as he looked at his fellow investigators around the meeting table.

“We have three major suspects right at this moment,” Rodney said as he looked at the file in front of him. “All three have the means and motives.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“Ladon Radim, his business partner. The business will now become solely his and there are rumors that he and Lavin didn’t see eye-to-eye anymore on a lot of business deals. He’s an active member of the gun club on 31st and could fairly easily have gotten his hands on a 9 mil. Second: Acastus Kolya, his main competitor. Lavin and him were after the same deal which involved a lot of money and chances for future interests. With Lavin out of the way, Kolya’s path is open to go for it as Radim doesn’t seem interested in it.”

“Wait,” John interrupted Rodney. “Lavin was going after a very lucrative deal and his partner wasn’t interested in it?”

“Apparently so,” Rodney confirmed.

“Who’s the third?” John asked.

“Chaya Sar, Lavin’s ex. For some reason she’s still the main beneficiary on his will.”

“And I’m assuming he’s rich?” Teyla asked.

“Loaded,” Rodney said and pulled a paper out of the file in front of him. “Remember 5 years ago that super lottery draw.”

John nodded. “Manhattan was going crazy back then. How much was it? 200 something?”

“289 869 550. Almost 300 million dollars. He was the sole winner and instead of squandering it like most winners do, he was actually smart with his money and invested in real estate and such. His current net worth is estimated at around 1 billion.”

“And his ex is going to inherit all of that?” John asked.

“Most of it,” Rodney answered. “His business and the money tied up in that is going to his business partner.”

“And how much is that we’re talking about?”

Rodney looked back into his papers. “About 250 million.”

“People have killed for less,” Ronon pointed out.

“They have,” Rodney agreed, “but I don’t think Radim cares about 250 million when his own estimated net worth is around half a billion dollars.”

“So he’d mainly just do it to get rid of his partner and get his hands on the business,” John concluded.

“Exactly.”

“Okay, let’s bring these people in, check if they have alibis and question them about Lavin. And if they don’t have a solid alibi, let’s check their DNA to the unknown blood sample we found.”

Everyone nodded and stood up, John stayed in his seat a little longer, staring at the murder board and trying to find a missing link.

 

\---

 

“We’ve heard there were some problems between you and Mr. Lavin,” John said as he sat in the interrogation room, facing Ladon Radim, early the next morning. Ronon was in the corner behind John, a solid silent presence.

Ladon scoffed and glanced from John to Ronon and back to John.

“I’m going to be honest with you. The death of Lucius is quite positive for me as now I don’t have to deal with his idiotic ideas anymore. But I didn’t kill him.”

“Idiotic ideas?”

“The business deals he wanted to close were crazy and ludicrous and very risky.”

“Then how did he gather that much money?”

“Luck. If there’s one thing you can say about Lucius is that he was always lucky.”

 

\---

 

“Lavin always was a lucky bastard. It’s one of the reasons I have no respect for him.”

“Really?” John asked Acastus Kolya.

“I have respect for real business men, not for people who gamble and always turn out to be lucky, they don’t deserve to be respected.”

“But you’re considered to be one of his main business rivals.”

“That’s because I like to take a gamble now and then and so we went after the same deal often.”

“And did you get as lucky as Mr. Lavin?”

Kolya glared at John. “Not always, no.”

“Must have stung.”

Kolya laughed darkly. “You have no idea.”

 

\---

 

“Oh, detective, you have no idea how much his death upsets me.”

“I’m sorry for your loss, Mrs Lavin.”

“Oh, please, call me Chaya.”

John slightly raised his eyebrows when she batted her eyelashes at him. Was she really trying to flirt with him?

“Did you talk to him recently?”

She shook her head and let out a small over-the-top sob. “I wish I had, so I could have told him how much I still cared for him.”

“If you still cared for him then why did your marriage fail?”

She shrugged. “We didn’t have much in common.”

“And you didn’t know that before you got married?”

“Have you never made a mistake like that, Detective? Thinking you were lucky, but it turned out you weren’t?”

John swallowed, trying not to think of his own failed marriage.

 

\---

 

“He wasn’t that lucky with his marriage,” John pointed out.

“She only married him for his money. I tried to warn him, but he didn’t listen.” Ladon said.

“If he knew about that, then why did he keep her in his will?”

“Because sometimes he could be a real idiot.”

 

\---

 

“His partner thinks Lucius is an idiot for keeping you in his will.”

“I’m in his will?” Chaya asked with honest surprise in her eyes.

“You didn’t know?”

She shook her head. “I had no idea.”

Tears welled up in her eyes and John could tell by her body language that for the first time since she was sitting across from him, she was being honest about her emotions.

 

\---

 

“Would that have been enough incentive to kill him?”

Kolya scoffed again. “I wouldn’t make my hands dirty on him.”

“Well, I have to ask, where were you the 14th between 10 and 11 at night?”

Kolya grinned. “I was at the mayor’s funding party. Where, if I’m not mistaken, your boss was too.”

 

\---

 

“I was in bed,” Ladon said with a smile.

“And can anyone verify that?”

His smile grew into a leering grin. “Oooh, yeah.”

 

\---

 

“I was home alone.”

“So no one can verify that?”

Chaya shook her head and let out a deep sigh.

 

\---

 

“She did it,” Ronon said, sounding sure of himself.

John looked around the meeting table to the rest of his team. “Her surprise about the will seemed very genuine, so what would her motive be?”

“Maybe she’s just a good liar?”

“No,” John shook his head. “She wasn’t lying.”

“How could you tell between all her eyebatting?”

John rolled his eyes, and ignored the question. “Our beloved chief has told us that Kolya was indeed at the Mayor’s funding party all night. Ladon was with a hooker who told us that at the time of the murder they were in his bed, having a mighty good time... at least she made him believe she was having a mighty good time. So that leaves us with the ex. But what is her motive if she didn’t know about the will.”

For a moment everyone around the table stayed quiet until Rodney spoke up. “What if the hooker’s lying?”

John nodded, the thought had crossed his mind too. “It’s possible Ladon paid her to lie.” Then he glanced at his watch. “Let’s look into it tomorrow.”

The others seemed surprised, John was usually the last one to leave the office and the first back in, especially when they had an active case. The fact that he was now talking about postponing something until tomorrow, was very telling.

“Do you have any plans?” Rodney asked with a slight smirk on his face.

John glared. “Even if I did it’d be none of your business.”

“He totally has plans,” Ronon grinned.

John huffed and got up from his chair. “For the one time I’m telling you guys to go home early, you complain?”

Then he walked out, ignoring the laughter of his colleagues as he went to his desk to grab his stuff.

 

\---

 

It was a couple of minutes before 8 when John arrived at the deli. It surprised him that he was feeling a little nervous.

“John,” Tony greeted him with a smile. “I reserved my best table for you.”

“Thanks, Tony. All I hope now is that she’ll show up.”

“She’d be a fool not too.”

That made John smile slightly as he followed Tony to the table and took his seat.

“Can I get you anything while you wait?”

“Brooklyn Lager, please.”

“Coming right up.”

 

\---

 

John was starting to get a little nervous. 8PM had passed 30 minutes ago and he was afraid he was making a fool of himself by staying here. As the bell rang that signaled the door had been opened he sighed and turned to look to at it for the umpteenth time that evening. His breathing stalled and relief flooded over him. It was her, she had come.

She walked over to him and gave him an apologetic look. “I’m so sorry I’m late. I had to come all the way from 124th and traffic was insane and then the cab took another route and...”

She was babbling and it was so adorable that it made John smile broadly. Getting up, he took her hand in his and it shut her up instantly. For a moment John was also stunned as he stared into her wide, surprised, eyes. The chemistry that hung in the air between them was undeniable.

Finally finding his voice back, he said: “It’s… okay. I’m just glad you made it.”

“Wouldn’t have wanted to miss this for the world.”

His smile grew. “Let’s do this properly now,” and he slowly started shaking her hand. “I’m John Sheppard.”

“Nice to meet you, John. I’m Elizabeth Weir.”

He couldn’t stop a happy grin from spreading over his face. “It’s very nice to meet you, Elizabeth.”

She tried to hide the blush on her cheeks as they sat down.

 

\---

 

Tony showed up pretty quickly to take their order and John was grateful for that. It gave him a couple more moments to think about what he was going to say to her. He never had trouble getting women into his bed, but he wasn’t a ladies man, unlike many thought, and with the woman who was sitting in front of him now, he didn’t want a quick fuck. The thought that he would be spending the rest of his life with her crossed his mind and what scared him most about that was that it didn’t freak him out.

“What are you thinking about?” She asked him after Tony had left their table and she caught him staring at her.

Giving her a soft smile, he cast his eyes away from her and stared at his drink.

“Just thinking how much I love this place.”

“Bullshit, but I’ll let you get away with it for now.”

He laughed and couldn’t believe she was letting him off the hook so easily.

“So John, tell me about yourself. I’d love to get to know the mystery man, who unwittingly convinced me to stay in this city, a little better.”

He slightly raised his eyebrows and gave her an amused look. “You kinda sound like a politician.”

“Well, I’m a diplomat. Not sure that comes close.”

“Close enough,” John grinned in teasing tone. “So I presume you work at the UN?”

“Indeed, I do. And you deftly steered the subject away from yourself.”

He laughed at that. “I didn’t mean to.”

“Suuuuuuure,” she said and gave him a look of unbelief that made him laugh again.

“Okay, I’m a cop with the NYPD. Lead-detective of a crack-team of investigators. We’re actually the leading team of the homicide department.”

“Homicide?” She asked with a twinkle of curiosity in her eyes.

John nodded. “It’s not pretty, but very satisfying when you catch the bad guy and give the families and loved-ones some closure.”

“And why did you become a cop?”

For a moment he looked uncomfortable and then shrugged. “I used to be in the Air Force. But something happened during a mission in Afghanistan and I was kicked out. One of my school buddies heard about it and told me the NYPD was looking for new people. I took the test, aced it, was assigned to his team and quickly rose the ranks,” he hesitated before continuing. “I’m not sure what would have happened to me if not for him.”

She heard there was something more to this story. “What happened to him?”

John swallowed thickly. “He got shot about a year ago. Was dead before he hit the ground.” At that moment her hand gently landed on his and he stared at their joined hands, a bit baffled by how natural it felt.

“Go on,” she said softly.

Sighing, he continued. “The team and the entire department took a big hit and his family was devastated. He left a good wife and a little kid behind. The funeral was absolutely heartbreaking. Then they were looking for a replacement to lead the team and my name came up, everyone in the team supported me, so I took the test and passed with flying colors. It wasn’t the way I envisioned getting my own team though.”

“I’m sure he’s proud of you,” Elizabeth said without hesitation and gently squeezed his hand. It made John slightly smile.

“That’s what his wife keeps telling me.”

“She sounds like a smart woman.”

“That she is. So, tell me, Elizabeth. How did you end up in old New York, working for the UN?”

“The UN called me in about 5 years ago to help with Korean negotiations. It was a long and harsh process and in the end our team failed, but apparently some people at the UN were very impressed by what I had done and they offered me a permanent position as lead-negotiator of a negotiator-team.”

“And you took it?”

She nodded. “I would have been stupid not to jump at an opportunity like that.”

“So, what’s changed that you want to leave again?”

Shrugging, she let out a little sigh. “In the three years I’ve lived here, I haven’t made any real friends. People usually are unfriendly and uptight.”

“Wait,” he interrupted her. “Where do you live?”

She gave him a surprised look, then one of her eyebrows shot up and she let go of his hand. “Excuse me?”

He found the look on her face absolutely adorable, but kept himself from saying so. “I don’t want to know your address. Just the general neighborhood.”

She deflated a little and was that a small blush on her cheeks?

“Upper East side, about a block from Central Park.”

“So, you’re surrounded by the rich and the famous?”

“I guess.”

“See, that’s where your problem lies. I bet with your line of work, you don’t have much time to go out, so you stick to your own neighborhood which means the people you generally come in contact with are of course uptight and distant because they’re either rich or famous or even worse: both.”

She gave him a small, yet amused glare. “Are you calling me uptight and distant?”

He grinned slightly. “There are exceptions to every rule.”

It made her laugh and made him grin more.

“Nice save.”

He bowed a bit. “Thank you, thank you very much.”

She laughed again and the sound was sounding divine to him and he made himself the promise that he would try to make her laugh every time he saw her.

“Let me take you out one night, to a proper neighborhood where people are friendly and open and where they will welcome you with open arms.”

Her gaze softened. “I’d like that.”

“It’s a date then,” he grinned. But his face fell slightly when he realised what he had said. “Euhm, I mean, errr...”

She gently put her hand on his again and that shut him up instantly. “I’d like for it to be a date.”

His heart sped up and for a second he was speechless. Tony chose that moment to bring their food and the tension between them was broken.

 

\---

 

It was Tony that interrupted their talking again much later that evening.

“I’m sorry, guys, but I’d like to close up for the night.”

John checked his watch and his eyes grew big. “Oh, Tony, I’m sorry, we completely lost track of time.”

“No, problem,” he grinned and handed John the bill. “Just remember that when you calculate my tip.”

Elizabeth and John laughed as Tony went back behind his counter.

When John saw that Elizabeth took out her wallet, he raised his hand. “Put that back.”

“Excuse me?”

“I invited you, it’s only fair I pay. Besides, it wouldn’t be very gentlemanly of me to let you pay.”

“Gentlemanly?” She slightly grinned.

“It’s a word.”

“One you just invented.”

It was amazing how well she knew him. “I confess to nothing.”

She laughed while he put the money on the table and got up.

“Let me call you a cab,” for a minute he looked unsure. “Unless you want to go for a drink.”

Smiling, she got up too. “It’s already quite late and it’s a weekday. I need some sleep, so a cab will do.”

He tried to hide his disappointment, because she did have a very valid point and he had a case to focus on in the morning.

“Cab it is,” he said and lead her outside.

 

\---

 

They didn’t need to wait long for a cab to show up and he opened the door for her.

She turned to him before getting in.

“Thank you for a wonderful evening.”

“Thank you for showing up... eventually.”

She smiled widely for the umpteenth time that evening and handed him a card.

“Let’s do this again soon.”

He took the card, nodded and before he could say anything, she leaned closer to him and gently kissed his cheek.

“Call me soon, John Sheppard.”

Then she got in the cab, closed the door and rode off.

He stood there motionless, staring in the distance, mesmerized, his stomach fluttering like mad.

Was it possible that he was already in love?

 

\---

 

John was back at the precinct, bright and early, the next morning.

Luckily for him, Teyla arrived not long after him and he hurried to her office.

“Teyla, do you have a minute?”

She gave him a weird look and nodded. “Why do I have a feeling this is not work-related?”

He gave her a sheepish grin and sat down in the chair opposite her. “You’d be right.”

“And why do I have a feeling it has something to do with last night?”

“There’s a reason you’re my second in command.”

She raised her eyebrow. “Alright, Sheppard, spill it.”

He cleared his throat and shuffled a bit in his chair.

“How long should I wait before calling a woman to ask for a sorta second date to which she sorta already agreed to?”

Teyla looked pleasantly surprised and sat up a little straighter, realising that for him to come to her with this, it was very important to him.

“So you’re serious about her?”

“Very,” he answered without hesitation and Teyla nodded.

“Is she serious about you?”

“She sounded serious when she asked me to call her.”

Teyla nodded again. “Call her tonight around seven.”

“That soon?”

“If you’re both serious: yes.”

“Won’t she think I’m desperate.”

Teyla shook her head. “That’s just the way guys think because they’re partly afraid to call a woman and get a rejection and partly because they truly are afraid to sound desperate. But don’t worry, if she asked to call you, do so the next day, otherwise you’ll just piss her off.”

“So tonight around seven?”

“Exactly.”

John grinned and got up. “Thanks, Teyla.”

“You’re welcome,” she said and continued just as he was walking out. “Oh and John?”

He turned back to her.

“Do you know where she works?”

He nodded. “She gave me her business card.”

“Send her some flowers.”

“To her work?”

“She will love it and she will love the attention her colleagues will give her for it. And there will also be a chance she’ll call you first then.”

“It’s kinda sounding desperate again and she doesn’t have my number.”

“Trust me on this anyway.”

“Alright, I will send her the flowers.”

“Good, now get back to work.”

He laughed. “Yes, ma’am,” and gave her a fake-salute.

 

\---

 

The day passed slowly... very slowly... and the case didn’t get the breakthrough John had hoped for.

He was constantly checking his watch and the murder board didn’t hold his attention like it usually did.

Knowing the flowers would be delivered around two in the afternoon didn’t make it any easier either as he was constantly wondering how she’d react to it. And he was really hoping she wouldn’t think he was desperate... even though he kinda was.

“What’s up with you today?” Rodney asked John while they were in the lab and he caught John staring out into nowhere for like the 10th time in barely 10 minutes.

John cleared his throat and tried to think of an excuse.

“What if it wasn’t one of our prime suspects? Did we already figure out where he came from before landing in that alley?”

Rodney shook his head. “There’s about a gazillion bars in that neighborhood. Ronon and Teyla checked the ones closest to the body, but no one recognized him.”

“Then they have to look further. He could have walked from God-knows-where before the shooter got to him. I think therein lies the key.”

John dragged Rodney to where Teyla and Ronon were discussing the case.

“Alright, tonight we’re working overtime.”

“There’s a surprise,” Rodney mumbled and ignored John’s glare. “No hot date tonight?”

John ignored him and turned to the other two. “We need to check the remainder of the bars around where our vic was killed.”

“That’s a lot of bars,” Ronon pointed out and John nodded.

“Yes, I know, that’s why we’re going in teams of two and we’re dividing the remainder of the bars, that you haven’t checked yet, among us. And even if it takes us next week too, we’re doing this.”

The others nodded, some happier about it than others.

“I just need to call Kanaan to let him know it will be a late night.”

“Of course,” John nodded. So far Teyla was the only one with a family in the team. Her son, Torren, was born barely a year ago and he had seen Kanaan, her husband, visit the precinct with their son a multitude of times. John didn’t mind. He was pretty sure that if he ever had a real family, he’d like to spend some more time with them too. He tried to ignore the image that sprang to mind of Elizabeth holding a baby boy that had her eyes and his hair.

While Teyla was in her office, talking to her husband, Rodney showed them the map of the Lower East Side and divided the bars between the two teams.

 

\---

 

John felt exhausted. They had walked around the Lower East Side for over three hours going in and out of every bar they passed and showing the victim’s picture to everyone in there. So far nothing had come up yet for either team.

Glancing at his watch, he was surprised that it was nearly 9PM. He had missed his 7PM window and he inwardly cursed.

“Rodney?”

“Hmm?” He look up from his notepad.

“I need to call someone, can you give me a couple of minutes?”

“Yeah, sure, whatever,” Rodney said and turned his back to him, focusing back on his notes.

John took out his phone, her business card and dialed the cell phone number on it. When it started ringing, his heart started racing.

*This is Weir,* sounded her voice after a couple of rings.

“Elizabeth? This is errr, John.”

*John...* He hoped he heard the happiness in her voice right. *Thank you so much for the flowers. They fit perfectly in my office and some of my female colleagues seemed a bit jealous.*

He laughed at that. “You’re more than welcome, Elizabeth. And I’m sorry I didn’t call you any sooner, but we’re in the middle of an investigation and right now I’m standing in the middle of Broom Street with my partner who’s giving me annoyed looks. I just... I just didn’t wanna wait any longer.”

*It’s okay, John. Don’t worry about it.*

“So, what do you say to dinner on Saturday, 7PM?”

*Tomorrow? Sounds like a plan.*

It sounded like she was broadly smiling and he couldn’t hide his smile either.

“Should I come pick you up?”

*Sure, I’ll text you my address.*

“Great. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

*See you, tomorrow, John.*

“Bye.”

*Bye.*

He didn’t want to close the connection, but he knew he’d sound like a giddy kid if he’d start the ‘you first’ game, so reluctantly he pushed the red button on his phone and tucked it back in his pocket.

“You finally done?” Rodney asked, a hint of annoyance clearly audible.

John didn’t care though and with a broad smile walked into the next bar.

 

\---

 

John felt slightly nervous as he walked inside her apartment building the next evening. This was their first real date and he really didn’t want to screw this one up.

“Can I help you, sir?” The man behind the counter asked him.

John turned to him and nodded. “I’m here to see Elizabeth Weir.”

“Does Dr. Weir know you’re coming?”

John nodded.

“What’s your name?”

“John Sheppard.”

The concierge picked up the phone and a few seconds passed before he started talking.

“Doctor Weir, there’s a Mister Sheppard here to see you.” “Alright, I’ll send him up.”

He put the phone down and looked at John again as he offered him a paper and a pen.

“Please sign in.”

John took the pen and squatted down his name, the date and time.

“Doctor Weir lives on the 10th floor, apartment 5.”

“Thank you,” John said and walked towards the elevators.

As he was standing in front of her door, he took a deep breath, wiped his clammy (or so he thought) hands on his pants and knocked on the door.

She opened it mere seconds later and he blinked a few times before his brain was able to form a coherent thought again. She was dressed in a sleek, long black dress that hugged her curves in all the right places. And her hair was fairly straight. According to him, she looked amazing.

“Wow... you look... wow...”

She smiled and turned slightly red.

“Come on in.”

He nodded and passed her. For a second he was taken aback again when he looked at her apartment. It was a very modern setting, no frilly thingies or old-looking statues or many pictures. Somehow he had pictured she’d have a much more old-fashioned taste in interior decorating. And it felt cold to him, so unlike her.

“Nice apartment,” he said, hoping she wouldn’t catch the lie.

“This is only temporary. My old building, which was a couple of blocks from here, got tore down and the UN gave me this apartment until I can find something else.”

“So that’s why you’ve been looking at apartments.”

She nodded. “Yeah, most of my things are still in storage. I don’t want to settle here. This is not my kind of place. Or, as you pointed out, apparently not even my kind of neighborhood. I really should start looking for an apartment in another part of Manhattan.”

“You should,” he agreed. “There are some amazing neighborhoods in this city.”

“You promised me to take me to one, didn’t you?”

He grinned a bit. “I sure did, but errr...,” his eyes roamed over her black dress, but quickly shot up to her face again. “I don’t think your wardrobe is fitting for the area. You look amazing, but yeah... it’s a bit overdressed.”

She softly smiled. “I just came from a work thing that ran later than planned. Give me ten minutes to get changed.”

He nodded and sat down on the couch as he waited for her to return.

Somehow it didn’t surprise him that it really only did take her ten minutes to get changed. Instead of the tight black dress, she was now wearing dark blue jeans and a light green shirt. Her hair was slightly curly instead of straight like before and he wondered how she had accomplished that so fast. He thought she still looked amazingly beautiful, just different from before, more natural. More like herself.

“You ready?” She asked and he nodded.

They walked out of her apartment and into the elevator.

“Where are you taking me anyway?”

“Bleecker Street. One of the best and most diverse streets in this city. But first we’re going to get a pizza.”

She laughed at that. “Pizza?”

“New Yorks finest!”

She couldn’t stop another laugh and as they exited the elevator, she turned to the concierge.

“See you later, Chuck.”

“Have a nice evening, Doctor Weir.”

The smile on her face was telling. “I don’t think that will be a problem.”

 

\---

 

“The subway?” She asked and stopped walking.

He halted in front of the Lexington entrance and turned back to her.

“I’m just showing you how real New Yorkers live their lives.”

“I always take a cab.”

“See, you still have that Washington DC mentality. We need to mault that more into a New York mentality now that you’ve decided to stay.”

She gave him an exasperated look, but when he offered her his hand; she took it without hesitation and together they walked down the stairs.

They only let go of each other when they arrived at the restaurant.

 

\---

  
  


They ate, talked, laughed, danced and what seemed like only a bit later, but was actually way past midnight, they were back at the door of her apartment.

She put the key in the lock and turned back to him.

“I had an amazing time.”

“So did I,” he softly smiled.

Her hand gently touched his chest and slowly moved up to his cheek. He licked his lips, his eyes never leaving her face.

Very slowly they inched closer until their lips softly met. The kiss stayed chaste, but as they parted and looked into each other’s eyes, their lips met again and this time it did deepen.

When the kiss reached its natural end, she took a deep breath.

“This is crazy. I only just met you, yet this feels so incredibly...”

“Right,” he finished and she nodded.

“So very right.”

They shared another kiss.

“Do you want to... come inside?” She asked, kissing him again. He slightly moaned and rested his forehead against hers.

“You have no idea how much I want to say yes.”

“But?” She couldn’t help but sound a bit disappointed.

“I’ve never done this so fast. And I don’t... I don’t want to screw this up.”

“Neither do I,” she said honestly. “And I won’t let you screw this up. If you promise not to let me screw this up either.”

He laughed, nodded, kissed her again and she pulled him inside.

 

\---

 

“Well, you seem happy today,” Ronon grinned as John walked into the bullpen monday morning.

“Just had a good weekend,” he said, thinking how that was a massive understatement. He had spent saturday night at her place and most of sunday they had spent in her bed. He hated having to leave her so early this morning, but he knew he had to get home to get a change of clothes and shower with his own shampoo instead of hers. He had never felt this happy in his adult life and he couldn’t wait to see her again tonight.

“Real good apparently,” Ronon grinned even wider.

John scoffed and tried to hide his own grin as he made his way to his own office.

 

\---

 

“What if our two suspects with alibis hired someone to kill our vic?” Teyla asked during the meeting that morning. “It wouldn’t be the first time that rich guys pay someone to get rid of the competition.”

“That’s a good theory,” John said. “McKay, check their financials again, also that of their businesses.”

McKay nodded and scribbled down some notes.

John turned to Ronon. “Have you found any relatives?”

Ronon shook his head. “He was an only child, as were his parents and they died 16 years ago in a car crash. His grandparents all died before he turned ten. So no.”

“Okay, at least that means we won’t have to break the news of his death to any far-away relatives,” John said and closed his notepad. “I know we’re stuck right now with this investigation, but we will solve it. This year we’ve had a 100% closure rate so far and we can’t let that be broken. We will find whoever did this.”

 

\---

 

During the afternoon, John was sitting at his desk, reading through the file for the umpteenth time when his cellphone rang. He took it out of his pocket and a large smile spread across his face when he read her name and butterflies attacked his stomach.

“Hello, Lizbeth.”

*Hey, John.*

He could hear by the tone of her voice that something was up and his heart sank.

“What’s going on? Are we still on for tonight?” He really hoped they still were.

*That’s why I’m calling you. My team and I are being called to Africa to negotiate a truce between two tribes. I’m at home right now, packing. We’re leaving in just two hours.*

For a second he stayed quiet, letting the information sink in.

“When... when will you return?”

*I wish I knew. It could be a week, it could be a month. It could be even longer. I really don’t know.*

“I’ll miss you,“ he confessed softly.

*I’ll miss you too. So very much. I’ll... I’ll try to get in touch as soon as I can.”

“Stay safe.”

*You too.*

“I’ll be right here when you get back.”

He heard the smile and sadness in her voice when she said: *I can’t wait to see you again.*

“Same here.”

*I’ll see you soon, John.*

“See you soon, Lizbeth.” He pushed the red button and held the phone against his lips. He sighed and whispered an ‘I love you’ against it. His own admission surprised him, but it also made him happy. He did love her, he was sure of that. And he really hoped he’d see her again soon.

 

\---

 

John sighed as he sat down on his couch in his apartment and stared at his surroundings. She hadn’t even been here yet, but it still somehow felt empty without her. Sighing again, he slouched back and turned on the tv to try and distract his mind.

He fell asleep on the couch, his dreams filled with images of her.

 

\---

 

“We have something,” Teyla said the next morning as she barged into his office. “I’ve had uniforms canvas the bars again. Apparently the bartender is only working there one night a week for just a couple of hours. That’s why we never got anyone who recognized him. He said that he saw Lavin with a younger man, not one of our suspects. They had a drink and their talk evolved into shouting. According to the bartender it was something about money and the young man was accusing Lupin of abandoning his family.”

“Family?” John asked. “I thought he didn’t have any family.”

“He doesn’t. Not according to official records anyway.”

“Did the bartender give a description?”

“He’s with the sketch artist right now.”

“Good,” John said. “When he’s finished, lets call together a team meeting to go over the findings.”

“Will do.” Teyla looked like she wanted to turn around, but seemed to change her mind. “John, are you okay?”

He gave her a strange look. “Why wouldn’t I be okay?”

“Yesterday morning you seemed really happy and upbeat. Today you seem down in a way.”

He sighed. He hated talking about his feelings, but he knew he could trust Teyla and he really needed this off his chest.

“You remember I talked to you last week about a woman I met?”

Teyla smiled softly. “Of course. You seemed to be very taken with her.”

That made John laugh. “Still am,” he confessed, which in turn made her laugh, but then she turned serious again.

“Don’t tell me she isn’t interested in you.”

“Oh, that’s not it. At all. I... I think I found the one, Teyla. I really think she’s the one I’m supposed to spent the rest of my life with. And I’m pretty sure she feels the same way about me.”

“I’m really happy for you, but then why the gloom mood.”

“She works for the UN as a diplomat and yesterday they had to leave in a hurry for a job in Africa. So I haven’t seen her since yesterday morning and I don’t know when I’ll see her again.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It’s so stupid, I’ve known her for a week and I already miss her like we’ve been together for years.”

“She’s your soulmate.”

John scoffed. “I don’t believe in that.”

“I do and trust me on this. She is your soulmate.”

He looked at her intently, mulling over her words. Maybe she was right. Nothing had ever felt so right and natural before.

“Even if she is, that won’t bring her back any faster.”

“But she will be back. Focus on that. And on the future you will be sharing with her.”

“Right now I don’t want to get my hopes up for a future I might be sharing with her. What if she returns and she isn’t interested in me anymore?”

“She’d be an idiot. And never forget you have friends who are cops and can make her life a living hell.”

He laughed again. “Thanks, Teyla.”

“You’re welcome,” she smiled. “Now I’m going to check on our witness.”

He nodded and she walked out. He took a few moments to think over everything Teyla had said and she was right. He had to look positive towards the future.

 

\---

 

“This is him,” John said as he pinned the drawing of a young man’s face on the murder board. “He was witnessed fighting with our vic around the time of the murder. This is the guy we need to find. Right now he is our main suspect. I want this picture in the late edition of every newspaper and on the tv news. Every day and every hour until we find him or someone who can lead us to him.”

The people in the room nodded their understanding.

“This is the breakthrough we’ve been looking for. Let’s hope this leads us to solving this case. You all know what to do. Now lets go find him.”

The meeting room emptied out and John stayed behind, staring at the murder board and thinking how the young man fitted in there. Right now he was still a lose element. John hoped that would change soon.

 

\---

 

Two days passed without any news on the picture or any news from Elizabeth and the team could see by John’s behavior that he was getting agitated by both those facts.

Teyla tried talking to him, but he always waved her off, saying he was fine.

Luckily late thursday afternoon a woman entered the precinct.

“Sir, there’s a woman here to see you.”

John looked up from his papers to the uniformed cop in his doorway.

“Who is it?”

“She says you’re looking for her son.”

John frowned at that. “Okay, let her in.”

The cop nodded and motioned the dark haired woman inside. John greeted her and pointed at the chair opposite his desk.

“How can I help you?”

She pulled a newspaper from her bag and showed him the suspect drawing on the front page. “I think this is my son.”

“Are you sure?”

“I haven’t heard from him since last week sunday,” she said, a touch of sadness lacing her voice.

“I’m sorry to hear that. What can you tell me about him?”

“He’s a good boy, he really is. He would never kill anyone.”

“I believe you. I really do. But right now he’s the last one who saw Mr. Lavin alive after they left the bar on monday night. We need to talk to him. He might be able to shed some light on what happened.”

“I really don’t know where he is. Like I said, I haven’t heard from him since sunday when he left my house. Usually he calls every few days, but not this week.”

She seemed close to tears and John started to feel uncomfortable.

“I’m sure he’s fine. Maybe he just saw something that could get him in trouble and he’s hiding with a friend.”

He waved Teyla in while the woman was searching in her bag for tissues. When she entered he said: “You can give all details on your son to my colleague.”

Teyla glared at him and he just gave her an apologetic look as he quickly made his way out of his office.

 

\---

 

“His name is Dylan Rodgers,” Teyla started as she pinned his photo on the murder board and turned back to the rest of the team. “He’s the illegitimate son of Lucius Lavin. His parents never told him and apparently Lavin never even knew he had a son. Dylan only found out when his adoptive father needed a blood transfusion and the hospital checked their blood and his bloodtype didn’t match with either of his parents. His mother always refused to tell him who his real father was and over the last year he has been obsessed with finding his biological father. I think we can presume he found out it was Lavin. With this information we also checked the unknown blood sample again and the DNA matches. It is definitely the blood of a first degree relative of Lavin. Since, as far as we know, he doesn’t have any more family, the blood is most likely from his son. So right now he is our prime suspect. His photo should be distributed around the entire city in a matter of hours. His mother claims she doesn’t know where he is, but it might be that she’s protecting him and already warned him that we’re looking for him.”

“Then why did she come to us in the first place?” Rodney asked.

“Guilt? Curiosity? Maybe she just had to make sure it really was her son we were looking for. But that doesn’t matter now. Even if his mother didn’t warn him, he only has to read the newspaper or watch the evening news to know we’re actively looking for him. So he might have already left the city. That’s why the photo is also being distributed to our colleagues all over the country. If he’s not here anymore, hopefully they’ll find him somewhere else.”

“Or he’s in a cabin in the mountains somewhere, never to be seen again,” Ronon pointed out.

John stood up. “Now don’t lose hope that we’ll find him. With any luck he’s still in the city and by tomorrow he’ll be in the interrogation room spilling his guts out and crying for his mommy.”

 

\---

 

It was only after the weekend that they finally got a lead on their suspect. They had spent every possible moment talking to his friends and family and finally one of them had talked and told them that he had last seen Dylan a couple of days ago in one of the old abandoned factories in New Jersey.

John called his New Jersey colleagues and a few hours later Dylan was sitting in their interrogation room.

 

“Come on, kid. We have witnesses that place you with your dad.”

“He’s not my dad!” Dylan growled and scowled at John.

“Fine. But we still have witnesses that place you with your not-dad. Why don’t you just tell me what happened that evening. Was it the first time you met him?”

Dylan seemed on edge and reluctant to talk, constantly glaring at John. But he still nodded.

“And he didn’t turn out like you hoped he would, did he?”

Dylan shook his head again.

“Dads barely ever do. I know mine was an ass, but he was the only dad I ever had. At least you still had a good father who raised you.”

“But he’s not my real dad.”

“Are you sure? He raised you, he was there for you. He learned you how to ride a bike, how to swim. He told you about the birds and the bees. Sounds like a real enough dad to me.”

Dylan sighed. “I just... I wanted to know what my biological dad was like.”

“And then you found out he was a millionaire living the big life while you and your family were struggling to get through each day.”

Dylan nodded. “I just wanted to talk to him. Get to know him, but when the subject of money came up and I asked him if he would help me pay for college...”

“He said no.”

“He said that his own dad never payed for his education and that it made a man out of him. That it made him survive in a kill or be killed world. I pointed out he got his fortune by being lucky. I mean, he won the fucking lottery. It’s not like he got it by starting a successful business or something like that.”

“But unlike most lottery winners, he made his fortune grow and created a very successful business,” John pointed out.

“And that’s exactly what he told me. His money was more important than his own family. All I wanted was money to get me through college, so my mom and dad didn’t have that burden. So that I didn’t have to work the rest of my life to pay for it. It would have been a fraction of his fortune, but he right out refused and walked out.”

“And you followed him?”

Dylan nodded. “I was hoping that I could still convince him, so I followed him down the street, talking to him.”

“But he kept saying no.”

“Yeah. He wouldn’t budge, wouldn’t hear of helping me out.”

“And you were angry with him.”

“Of course I was!” Dylan growled and balled his fists. “I just couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t help family out.”

“So you killed him.”

Dylan shifted in his seat and turned his head away. “I want my lawyer.”

John sighed. So close...

At the moment he wanted to get up and leave the interrogation room, Teyla stormed in.

“John, you need to see this!”

He gave her a questioning look and ran after her to the bullpen where CNN was playing. The first thing he saw was Elizabeth’s photo next to three other facial photos. The title above read “Four UN negotiators kidnapped by rebels”. John sat down heavily and barely listened to what the newsreader was saying. He just stared at her picture, trying to let it all sink in.

 

\---

 

He had never before in his life paid this much attention to the news. His desk was covered in newspapers while CNN was playing on the TV and BBC World was playing on his computer.

Teyla let him be. She closed the case together with Ronon. Dylan’s lawyer got him to confess to try and lower his sentence. He’d still be going to jail for a long time though.

But after a few days, she got more and more worried about John. It had been almost a week since they had heard about her kidnapping and it seemed like he looked worse as the days progressed. It seemed like he had stopped caring about everything but Elizabeth, including about himself.

When their shift was nearly over, she walked into his office and sat down without waiting for an invite.

He looked up from his computer, but barely acknowledge her when he looked back at his screen almost instantly.

“Talk to me, John.”

“I’m fine.”

“Bullshit. You haven’t worked on a case in days and you look like you haven’t eaten or even showered in days. You’re far from fine.”

He gave her an annoyed look, but turned right back to his computer.

“Talking will help you.”

“Her being safe from harm will help me,” he shot back, a little bit more forcefully than he had planned on.

“And you think you can help her by reading newspapers and watching the news 24/7?”

“If something happens to her... I’m not family, Teyla. I’m barely her boyfriend. They would never inform me. Her mother doesn’t even know about me, so I can’t turn to her for information. This is the only way I have of staying on top of things. This is the only way I’ll know when something happens.”

“How do you know her mother doesn’t know about you?”

“Teyla, we knew each other for a week before she had to leave. Would you tell your parents about a guy you like, but have only known for a week?”

“I told my parents about Kanaan right after I met him because I knew he was my soulmate. I wanted to share that happiness with my parents. What makes you think she wouldn’t have done the same?”

John shrugged.

“I know you aren’t close to your father, but from what you’ve told me, she’s close to her mother. And trust me, when people are close to their parents, they will keep them up to date on things. Just give her a call or something like that. Maybe it’ll do you both good.”

He gave her a long silent look and she saw resolve setting in his eyes. Getting up, he picked up his bag and walked to his office door.

“Hold down the fort, would you?”

She nodded and he walked out.

 

\---

 

He was crazy. He knew he was. He took the first flight out to Washington DC and was now sitting in a taxi, in the street where Elizabeth’s mother lived. The press was swarming her house like vultures and he felt sorry for the older woman. The kidnapping had been hard on him, but he couldn’t imagine what she was going through. Especially with the press hovering over her like this; trying to capture that one moment that would make their careers. If he approached the house, they would be all over him too. His face would appear in the papers and on the news if he told them he was Elizabeth’s boyfriend. He could feel the weight of his badge in his inside pocket and he knew using that was the only way to get inside without rousing suspicion.

Telling the driver to drive to her house, he could see the press already coming closer, their curiosity unstoppable.

The moment he opened the door of the taxi, they were all over him, asking him who he was, what he was doing here, if he was family or if he was a friend of the family.

He quickly took out his badge and flashed it around.

“Police business. I have no comment, please let me pass.”

The press slightly made room for him to pass, but the questions immediately changed and they wanted to know if he had any news about the kidnapping, why he was here, if something had happened.

John quickly made his way to the garden gate, where the cop who was keeping an eye on the press let him pass. John handed him his badge and the cop eyed it curiously.

“New York?”

“It’s the city where Dr. Weir lives. I’m a friend of hers.”

The cop eyed him again, but eventually nodded and handed him back his badge.

John thanked him and made his way to the front door.

After ringing the doorbell he wrung his hands. What if Teyla had been wrong. What if Elizabeth’s mother had no idea of his relationship with her daughter. How would he explain this to her?

But then the door opened and his thoughts halted.

“Yes?” The older woman asked with a trace of suspicion on her face. He couldn’t blame her. She probably thought he was yet another journalist, trying to score an exclusive.

“Ma’am, I’m John Sheppard, a friend of Elizabeth.”

It was difficult to read her face. Too many emotions crossed it and he wasn’t sure how to react to that.

“You’re John?” She asked, a smile lighting up her face as she motioned him inside, closed the door and pulled him into a hug. He was slightly taken aback by her actions, but still held her close. It was something they apparently both needed. Teyla had been right. He owed her one. Yet again.

“So, Elizabeth told you about me?” He asked when they finally parted.

Angela nodded and guided him to the living room.

“She did. You’re the man who made her want to stay in New York again. You’re the one who made... makes her happy.”

“She makes me happy too,” he admitted as he sat down.

She sat down in the recliner opposite of him and gave him a soft smile.

“I’m glad you decided to come here.”

“I wasn’t sure you knew about me.”

“The last time we talked on the phone, Elizabeth couldn’t stop talking about you. I’m glad... she had you before this happened to her.” Tears appeared in her eyes and John felt a bit uncomfortable. He never really knew how to deal with emotional women.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered as she wiped her eyes. He shook his head, got up, walked to her and pulled her into a hug again.

“I miss her too,” he said. “And I’m so worried about her.”

They held each other tight and cried.

 

\---

 

He stayed in her guest room that night. And for the rest of the week and a week after that.

He called Teyla to tell her he was taking all the vacation and sick days he had left. He wanted, no needed, to stay with Angela. They both helped each other through this and neither had felt this good since the news of Elizabeth’s kidnapping.

 

\---

 

It was another week before they finally received some positive news. Negotiations with the rebels were finally getting somewhere and Elizabeth and her team would be released within a few days.

 

\---

 

Three days later Angela got a phonecall from the Homeland Security that the team would be arriving at Andrews.

They were picked up a few hours later by a town car that drove them to the airport. There they met the families of the other victims. And all anxiously awaited the arrival of their loved ones.

That finally happened an hour later. The military cargo plane touched down and when the team of four exited, cheers arose from their families and a general relief could be felt in the air.

The reunion was heartbreaking and when John saw Elizabeth run into her mother’s arms, he felt so happy for them both. But then he doubted his own presence here. He had known her for barely a week before all this happened. That now almost felt like a lifetime ago. How would she react to him being here?

“John?” He looked up at her and saw her running towards him. Within moments she was hugging him fiercely, with an almost desperate feeling to it.

He clung to her. He never wanted to let her go again. He was so happy she was alive and he couldn’t stop the tears from forming in his eyes.

“Thank God, you’re okay,” he whispered.

“I missed you,” she breathed between sobs. “I missed you so much.”

“I missed you too,” he said without hesitation, the tears evident in his voice. “And I love you.”

She sucked in a breath and stepped out of his embrace yet still keeping a hold of him. A smile formed on her face in between the tears. “I love you too, John. I love you.”

“Thank the heavens,” he laughed and gently kissed her.

Her mother looked at the scene with a smile on her face. He was the one for the daughter and she more than approved of him.

 

\---

 

They went back to her mother's house where they planned on staying for a few more days so she could calmly recover from her ordeal. And he wasn’t planning on leaving her side.

That night, she was laying in the safety of his arms, enjoying their comfort and familiarity.

“Move in with me.”

She slightly sat up and looked at him. “What?”

“Move in with me. Or we can look for a new place, together.”

“You’re serious?”

“I am. You’re looking for a new place and I want to spend every possible second with you.”

“You are serious,” she said and looked at him with big eyes.

He nodded and she could read from his face that he was anxiously waiting for an answer.

“Are you really that sure about us?”

He nodded again. “Aren’t you?”

She softly smiled. “I am. And in a way it scares me. I’ve never felt this for anyone before.”

“Me neither,” he assured her.

“With what I’m feeling now... I want to spent the rest of my life with you.”

His smile grew. “I’d ask you to marry me, but we’ve only dated for a week. That might be a bit forward.”

“And asking me to move in with you isn’t?” They both laughed.

When she suddenly turned serious, he was slightly worried.

“I’ll do both.”

His eyes grew in surprise. “What?”

“We’ll move in together and then we’ll get married.

“You’re serious?”

“I am,” she smiled.

He grinned widely and pulled her in for a deep kiss.

 

\---

 

He awoke from a scream. She was thrashing, screaming, crying in her sleep.

He held her close, whispering reassuring things in her ear after trying to wake her up.

It didn’t really seem to help at all.

His heart ached for her.

For two days now she had been reluctant to talk about her ordeal, always saying that she was doing fine.

He knew it was bullshit, but he wanted to give her space to work it out on her own.

No more. They were going to start a life together. If she couldn’t confide in him, then what was it all really worth?

 

\---

 

She was sitting on a bench in her mother’s garden. Enjoying the peace and tranquility. It was something she craved for after the last few weeks.

He sat down next to her and she unconsciously leaned closer to him.

“Talk to me. Please. I know that you have nightmares.”

She cast her eyes downward. “I’m not sure I’m ready.”

“I’m here for you,” he said and gently took her hand in his. She squeezed it and gave him a thankful smile.

“I just want to move on. Start over with you.”

“You know I want the same. But sometimes you can only move on if you leave the past behind you.”

“I’m thinking of quitting my job at the UN.”

For a moment he just stared at her, but then he nodded. “Totally understandable after everything that happened. But I want you to be 100% sure. Don’t make any rash decisions. I don’t want you to have any regrets.”

She turned to him and cupped his cheek. “I won’t.”

“Be sure you’re doing it for the right reasons.”

“I am,” she whispered and softly kissed him. He closed his eyes and lingered in the moment.

As the kiss came to it’s natural end, she gave him a small smile. “I want to spend more time with you. I want to have time to go apartment hunting with you and to arrange our move and just everything. I won’t have that time when I keep working at the UN and they keep sending me abroad. I know it’ll be difficult for a bit on just one paycheck, but I’m sure we’ll manage until I’ve found a new job.”

“Do you already know what you want to do?”

She shrugged. “For a few years now I’ve been regularly approached by universities to take up a teaching position. I never saw myself as a teacher, but It’s something I’m considering now. I’ll probably make an appointment with NYU after we’re settled in our new place.”

“I hope we find something soon,” he admitted.

She nodded, “so do I.”

“Maybe you could move in with me until we do find something. I mean, if you quit your job, you’ll lose your apartment. It would be a bit silly to look for a new place just for you until we find something for the both of us. You said that most of your stuff is still in storage anyway. So that can stay the same until we do find something or if you...”

She efficiently shut him up as she put her finger on his lips and laughed. “Stop babbling. I’d love to move in with you while we’re looking for a new place.”

He grinned and kissed her finger. She moved her hand to his cheek again.

“I love you, John Sheppard.”

“I love you, Elizabeth Weir.”

 

\---

 

Two days later they were back in New York. And the next morning he walked into the precinct while she went to talk to her superiors.

“John, you’re back,” Teyla smiled. “How’s Elizabeth.”

“Slowly getting there. She’s still reluctant to talk about what happened though.”

“Give her time. How are things between you two?”

“Real good. We’re moving in together and we’re sort of unofficially engaged.”

Teyla’s smile grew, she walked over to him and hugged him.

“I’m really happy for you.”

“What, no speech that it’s too fast? That we should give it time?”

“I told you before John, you’re soulmates. I’m just really happy you two found each other and that everything that happened these last few weeks didn’t pull you apart.”

“If anything, we grew even closer because of it.” He continued by filling her in about his days at her mother’s and about the last few days after her return. He finished with “so, anything exciting happen here? New case?”

“Seems the bad guys knew you were gone. It was really calm while you were away.”

“But you did keep our 100% closing rate?”

She laughed. “Of course we did! Have you no faith in us?”

He grinned. “All the faith of the world. But I just wanted to make sure.”

“Guys, DB on Broadway,” Ronon said as he burst into John’s office, “and welcome back, Sheppard.”

“Thanks, Dex. Let’s move out.”

“And apparently now the bad guys know you’re back,” Teyla smiled.

John scoffed and grabbed his coat, saying a hello to Rodney on the way out.

 

\---

 

5 years later

 

“Sweetie, not too close to the edge of the water.” Elizabeth yelled to her daughter as they walked through Central Park sunday afternoon.

“Let her be,” John said, his hand loosely in hers.

“What if she falls in?”

“She knows how to swim,” John pointed out.

Elizabeth gave him a look. “The water is dirty. She may die from whatever is in there.”

“Honey, stop worrying. In four months we’ll be the proud parents of a bouncing baby boy. Now that kid will be worth your worry.”

“Because he’ll take after you?”

John grinned. “Exactly. And Emily takes after you, so she’s smart enough to know what she’s doing or shouldn’t be doing.”

‘Thank you for the compliment.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Torren!!!” Emily suddenly screamed and ran over the grass to her best friend.

“I think Teyla and her family are here,” John said as they slowly walked towards the kids and adults.

“Whatever made you think that?”

“Spidey sense.”

Elizabeth laughed. John let go of her hand and wrapped his arm around her shoulder while giving her temple a quick kiss. “I love you, honey.”

“And I love you, John.” She smiled warmly while her hand rested on her swollen belly.

 

That night, after Emily had been tucked in, Elizabeth and John were sitting on their couch, watching a documentary on tv. Elizabeth was resting her head on John’s chest.

“This was quite a week,” he said.

“What do you mean? Don’t I become a principal every week? And don’t you get a promotion each week?”

He grinned and softly kissed her.

“Do you know what’s the best decision I ever made?”

“Marrying me?”

“Second best.”

She laughed. “Making Emily with me?”

“Close second.”

She laughed again. “Making this little one with me?” She asked as she touched her belly.

“Still a close second,” he grinned and kissed her again. “No, the best decision I ever made was give you my second number in that deli. My gorgeous number 43.”

The look on her face was radiating love. “My amazing number 42.”

He kissed her again and as the kiss deepened, he gently lifted her in his arms and carried her to their bedroom.

 

THE END

 


End file.
